This vast country, the second most populous in the world, is located in the centre of South Asia. It has a border with China and Nepal to the north, Bhutan to the north-east, Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east and Pakistan in the north-west. The country protrudes into the Indian Ocean with its south-east coast facing the Bay of Bengal and the south-west the Arabia Sea.

India’s northern borders are composed of the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas, the source of the Ganges, which flows through the Indo-Gangetic plain. Further south the land rises in the Central Highlands with the east and west coastal plains to either side either side of it. To the west of the country is the Thar Desert.

Visitors come for the sun-drenched beaches, national parks, the wildlife sanctuaries, World Heritage Sites, which include the legendary Taj Mahal and Chilika Lake.